What part of Maine would you recommend visiting at the end of August?

My husband and I are looking for an idyllic spot to spend our one-year anniversary. We’d like to be near the water and also not spend too much money (less than $1000). Which towns would you recommend? We tend to like small, friendly towns and we were hoping to do some hiking, swimming and canoeing. We were thinking of renting a cottage or cabin so that we could cook on our own and have privacy. I’m kind of biased against kids for this particular vacation, although I usually think families are great. We’re concerned about bugs, too, because we’ve heard it can get buggy in the summer. Is this true?